A farmer, Sudam Khatua, of Pakarabad village under the Sadar police station of Baleswar district died at the SCB Medical College Hospital in Cuttack on Wednesday.
Khatua had consumed poison on Tuesday allegedly over loss of crops due to the recent untimely rain. locals said he was in a state of despair due to the huge loans he had taken for cultivation.
The debtors were constantly pestering him to repay the loans, for which he might have taken the extreme step. However, the district administration has refused to comment on the issue.
Similarly, a couple of days earlier, a farmer of Ganjam district allegedly committed suicide being unable to bear loan burden. The deceased T Bulu Reddy of Chikarada village under Randa panchayat in Golanthara block had incurred a loan of Rs one lakh for farming and Rs 1.5 lakh for treatment of his son.
According to sources, untimely rain destroyed Reddy’s crops. He consumed poison on last Friday night as he was not able to repay the loans.
He died while undergoing treatment at the MKCG Medical College Hospital in Brahmapur. The district administration is investigating into the incident.